Whitney Marsh stands ready at first for the Wildcats during Thursday’s sectional title game against Fairfield. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)

LAGRANGE – In the end it was the cream that rose to the top in the Lakeland Softball Sectional. Four straight days of softball action came to an end as the Fairfield Falcons claimed their second-ever softball sectional title by downing Whitko 11-1.

The Falcons started their journey Monday with a win over Tippecanoe Valley, played two innings before getting rained out on Tuesday, came back Wednesday to eliminate Wawasee then finally finished the sectional run Thursday night.

Fairfield made it clear from the get-go that it came to play as it scored six runs in the top of the first to put Whitko on its heels.

A triple by Lairen Miller scored Alexis Zook for the game’s first run. A sac fly by DJ Martz scored Miller. Danica Mast got on base via an error followed by a single from Jalisa Schwartz. Mickayla Wallace’s RBI single scored Mast’s courtesy runner Julia Brown. Jalisa Schwartz scored on an RBI from Jenean Schwartz. Hannelore Jones picked up an RBI on her groundout as Wallace crossed home. Shelby Graber got the final RBI for the inning as her single scored Jenean Schwartz.

That paragraph drug on as long as the first inning did for the Wildcats, which is just what Fairfield wanted.

“That was huge for us,” said Fairfield head coach John Skibbe of his team’s first inning performance. “A big key there was Lairen Miller’s triple. That really started it for us. From then on we put pressure on them and they made a few mistakes.

“That’s the difference in the game. It’s an emotional letdown for Whitko because they hadn’t even had an at-bat at that point. We’re used to that role, we were on the road a lot this year just due to how our schedule worked out so we kind of enjoy that and we get to do it again on Tuesday.”

Whitko got a run back in the third inning off an RBI double from Anna Ousley which scored Tori Silveus. Fairfield pushed its lead back up to seven with a two-run fifth inning but the story of the game, outside of the first inning, may very well have been in the bottom of the fifth.

Singles by Hanna Yohe, Haley Yohe and Anna Ousley gave Whitko a golden opportunity, bases loaded with just one out. But the chance was squandered as Mast remained solid in the circle and the Fairfield defense never flinched. Whitko left a total of five runners on base in the game.

Fairfield added three more runs in the top of the seventh. Haley Yohe, who reached base on a walk, would be the only baserunner for Whitko in the game’s final two innings.

As tough as the loss comes for a high-flying Whitko team, the core is young and the future looks to be very bright.

“We’re only losing two seniors,” began a choked up Michele Garr following her team’s loss. “Those seniors leave big shoes to fill but we have a lot of talent coming back and coming up. I know we have some girls that can step right in and contribute for us. I’m very excited for the future”

The loss hardly defines the great season that was for the Wildcats. Whitko finishes with a 16-8 record, a total 180 from its 8-16 mark in 2014.

Fairfield (22-6) will travel to play No. 1 Leo Tuesday evening for the regional title.